Around the World in 80 half days
Having just returned from a trip around the world, I thought I would rate the various airlines that I flew with and make comments. Bearing in mind that this is an industry that is desperate to win market share and improve their profitability, I think it is interesting to note the winners and the losers.
Marks are out of 10
Air Canada – 8
I started in Toronto with Air Canada to San Francisco. My last flight was also Air Canada from London to Toronto. The airline employs mainly mature staff who are always pleasant and helpful but not a lot of airs and graces. I gave them 8 out of 10 because, although there is nothing outstanding in the service, at the same you get the feeling that you are in a safe pair of hands. Air Canada could be an outstanding airline if it wanted to be. I think the staff do very well considering the way they have been treated in the past.
Air New Zealand – 10
Air New Zealand surprised me. Two flights, one from San Francisco to Auckland and the other from Auckland to Melbourne. In both cases the staff were outstanding and the service and atmosphere was excellent. It took my breath away how attentive they were and much effort they took to have a relationship with the passengers. It started in the lounge before we boarded and continued all the way.
Qantas – 3
Five flights with Qantas were consistent. The same below average service in five separate flights over two weeks. The staff obviously don’t enjoy their job, if there was any pride in Qantas as the Australian airline, it is not there now. I was obviously a foreigner and was with some Australian people. I did not feel that they were either proud of their airline or happy in their job. Maybe being in One World with British Airways is rubbing off on them!!! Sorry Qantas, not good at all.
Singapore Airlines – 6
This was my third flight this year with Singapore Airlines and I was still annoyed at the awful service and lies I had from them earlier in the year. However, I was determined to have an open mind for this trip. I struggle to give them a 6 for one simple reason, they are very efficient but it is wafer thin. The moment you ask for anything away from the ordinary, they are lost. Efficiency falls apart and they are simply awful at being able to deal with it. Once again it happened on this flight leaving me with an issue I have to deal with due to the lack of their mistakes. If you point out an error they have made, they will simply deny that it was their fault and evade dealing with it. To them their systems are faultless and so if there is an error, it is your fault. Very disappointing for an airline that has been excellent in the past but has lost the important part of successful business in the future. The ability to have a relationship with customers, not just be pleasant on the surface.
Lufthansa – 7
Typical German and very efficient. Staff never appear happy to serve the customer or happy at their job. However, they will deal with any issue you may raise and things will run to schedule. No frills, low personality but run a good service. Could be excellent if they could be more personable. The only reason Lufthansa was a 7 and not an 8, was the seats in Business Class are no different to Economy. Not sure what I pay extra for?
My highest moments were with Air New Zealand and then with Air Canada. The guy at Air Canada Heathrow airport, is excellent and a wonderful example of professional and personable. I would love to see Air Canada and Lufthansa be a 9, which they could be very easily.
So disappointed with Singapore Airlines, who have been very good in the past and have obviously lost focus. This will cost them dearly in the years ahead unless they are willing to acknowledge they have a problem and deal with it.
The future lies in the ability of organizations to build a relationship with customers. Loyalty cards and being polite are not what builds relationships any more. This is going to be one of the significant competitive advantages of the West. The Middle East and Asia are still very hierarchical and that leaves their customer service pleasant but cold. A pleasant staff member is nice, but a staff member that knows how to form a relationship with a customer, is simply gold. Of course the final test of any relationship is how the person deals with problems and issues. This is where Singapore Airlines fall apart and why Lufthansa and Air Canada can make significant steps very easily.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 7:48 pm and is filed under Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
